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Cape Town – Laduma Ngxokolo had his first clients when he was only 16 years old - his neighbour, a friend and a local artist from his neighbourhood. Today he owns a premium fashion brand, Maxhosa by Laduma, and his designs have been displayed on catwalks in Johannesburg, Cape Town, London and Paris, to name a few.
He is also the first South African entrepreneur to collaborate with Chivas South Africa to create a limited edition packaging for Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Scotch Whisky, under the theme “Win the right way”.
His late mother, who was an entrepreneur in the 1980s and a great promoter of the Xhosa heritage, taught him to knit by machine.
His older sister was "more enthusiastic about fashion", says Ngxokolo, while he was more of a "knitwear design specialist". "I worked on the machine and knitted, knitted, knitted! My sister used to make garments with my mom. She had magazines and I used to read these magazines for inspiration. In fact, I became more inspired by her passion for fashion design," Ngxokolo says.
Ngxokolo's brand was born out of his own need when he was an initiate; he looked for clothes but couldn't find anything except the "Western vibe type of designs" from international brands such as Pringle of Scotland and others. "So, technically, when I was ikrwala (a Xhosa initiate) I made myself clothes.
"I made a visit to a local museum which had the most beautiful beadwear collection of the Xhosa people, which dates back to the 1800s. I realised that the most distinctive patterns we have as Xhosa people are in beadwork. I then infused these patterns into my designs and modernised them. I also use buttons as embellishment on my designs."
When Ngxokolo's thesis project while studying towards his BA degree at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University required him to solve a problem through design, clothing for initiates came first. The initiates are expected to dress in a certain way, culturally, to demonstrate their new life of manhood. "The problem came organically to me."
Ngxokolo's designs reflect his deeply entrenched Xhosa heritage and the patterns which are distinctive to his designs.
(Laduma Ngxokolo in his self-made jersey with its distinctive zig-zag Xhosa pattern. Pic: Liziwe Ndalana, Fin24)
Design Indaba boost
The university provided Ngxokolo with infrastructure to launch his first collection, which catapulted him into immediate success. Ngxokolo has been a regular fixture at the Design Indaba since he first spoke there in 2011 as a graduate student, when showcasing his first collection. He was also chosen as the first South African entrepreneur for their Chivas Regal limited edition.
With Chivas Regal being a global brand, a number of international designers - including Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood - were afforded the opportunity to design the Chivas Regal Limited Edition 18 Year Old packaging in previous years. It is the first time in Chivas Regal history that the opportunity was given to a South African designer.
Job opportunities lost
Ngxokolo says the supply chain process of knitwear design is quite long before you get to the final product. "I therefore technically employ four people who manage my showroom. We use 80% wool and 20% mohair yarn that we source here in South Africa."
According to Ngxokolo, Port Elizabeth is the capital of mohair; about 70% of the world's mohair comes from South Africa, which is traded in the city. South Africa also has Africa's biggest wool industry, also traded in Port Elizabeth. "As someone who comes from PE, I often ask myself why are we exporting these raw materials and not processing them locally to create jobs," he says. Ngxokolo says many jobs are lost in the industry due to Chinese imports and competition from international brands.
Ngxokolo says although - thanks to the rise of the middle class, compared to the times when he was growing up - people can now afford these brands, they are still "not relevant enough".
"The market is expanding more and I felt there was a gap in that market, with about 5 000 up to 10 000 Xhosa initiates who go to circumcision schools every (initiation) season," Ngxokolo says.
Art exposure thanks to mother
Ngxokolo is the second-born of four children and was raised by a single mother who died when he was still a teenager. "My mom bought anthropology books and read them to us, even though we didn't really understand English then." She was a hard worker who ensured that her children went to good schools on her meagre salary.
"Our mother literally took us out of ghetto schools and enrolled us into multiracial schools to expose us to art subjects such as music." Sadly, his mother did not live to see his success and she didn't even know that Ngxokolo was passionate about knitwear, as he was still finding his path.
"I used to make exclusive knitwear... once-off pieces which I no longer make. Despite being conservative when I was growing up, I always had a good sense of visual colour.
"I started focusing on textile and knitwear while I was still in high school. Right then I became certain that this was a career path I would follow. During my fourth year at university, I decided to specialise in knitwear design as I had mastered the skill through over 10 years' practice.
"I’m an entrepreneur. I find solutions for problems and make money out of those solutions – that’s what being an entrepreneur means to me."
Ngxokolo is the winner of the Most Beautiful Objects in South Africa (MBOISA) 2016 Design Indaba. His iconic shawl earned him the prize (image below).
Ngxokolo's designs are currently showing at Luminance in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, Merchants on Long in Cape Town and his showroom in Newtown to mention a few. Ngxokolo is soon to add socks to his design collection.
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